Referrals & Letters

If you have attended an appointment with your GP & it has been confirmed that a letter or referral is required - please be aware that this can take around 7 to 10 working days to action & our Secretarial team will be guided by the GP's as to its urgency. Holiday periods may take longer dependant on staffing levels.

NHS England, British Medical Association (BMA) and the National Association for Patient Participation (NAPP), have come together to produce a patient facing leaflet which describes what a patient can expect to happen if they are referred by their GP to see a specialist or consultant at a hospital or a community health centre.

Patient Contact Centre is available for patients to enquire about follow up hospital appointments - please call 01279 827391. The PCC are there to speak to patients directly, and can provide information regarding whether you are currently on a consultant's waiting list, and when you may expect to get an appointment. On occasions they may even able to offer an appointment date.

The majority of patients can now speak to someone about their hospital appointment from 8:00am – 8:00pm Monday to Friday and 9:00-13:00 Saturday thanks to the introduction of a new service.

The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust has centralised the service for the majority of clinical areas to give members of the public the ability to discuss their hospital appointment and Admission date.

Currently maternity and radiology are exempt but all other forms of appointments can be booked via telephoning: • 01279 827391 for ‘new’ Outpatient Appointments • 01279 827539 for Theatre or Day Stay bookings.

Patients who use the E-Referral System (previously known as Choose and Book) are given a booking reference number (UBRN) & will not need to access this new service because they will continue to run the NHS Appointment’s line (03456088888), nor will those who have had their appointment booked via the GP surgery or online.